Lindsey Graham isn’t getting away with any of this
If you’re a narcissist, before you treat your victims like fools, it might be a good idea for you to find out first if they really are fools in the first place. Lindsey Graham is trying to treat us like fools. Not only are we going to not let him get away with it, we are going to impeach Donald Trump again (among other things) should he try.
In 2016, Lindsey Graham stated unequivocally that should a vacancy in the Supreme Court occur during a president’s last year in his first term after the primary, the Congress should wait and let the next president nominate a replacement.
But don’t take my word for it. Here’s what Senator Graham said then verbatim: “I want you to use my words against me. If there’s a Republican President in 2016 and a vacancy occurs in the last year of the first term, you can say Lindsey Graham said let the next president, whoever it might be, make that nomination.”
I repeat, Lindsey Graham said it. He said, “I want you to use my words against me.” Of course he said that back in early 2016. That was a long time ago, politically speaking. Here’s what he said two years later in 2018, after Trump had been elected. “If an opening comes in the last year of president Trump’s term, and the primary process has started, we’ll wait till the next election.”
We are in Trump’s last year of his first term. The primary process has already long ago started and finished. A vacancy has occurred. According to Lindsey Graham, we must wait for the next president to make the nomination, whoever that next president may be. And you can use his words against him. He swears it. So help him god. On a stack of bibles. And you can quote him.
Except. Except, naturally, if a set of circumstances occurred before he made those promises. No, I’m not making that up. Lindsey Graham has now found excuses for going back on his word based on circumstances that existed before he promised that he would not support a SCOTUS nominee during Trump’s last year of his first term.
Again, don’t take my word for it, here’s what Graham tweeted:
“The two biggest changes regarding the Senate and judicial confirmations that have occurred in the last decade have come from Democrats.
“Harry Reid changed the rules to allow a simple majority vote for Circuit Court nominees dealing out the minority.
“Chuck Schumer and his friends in the liberal media conspired to destroy the life of Brett Kavanaugh and hold that Supreme Court seat open.
“In light of these two events, I will support President @realDonaldTrump in any effort to move forward regarding the recent vacancy created by the passing of Justice Ginsburg.”
In other words, since Democrats made previous rule changes and were mean to Brett Kavanaugh, Lindsey Graham doesn’t have to keep his promise. But here’s the problem. Graham’s promise not to support a nominee during an election year was made on October 3rd 2018, so the excuses he is referencing happened before that. In other words Graham knew about Harry Reid’s rule changes and the fact that Democrats and the press were unhappy about Brett Kavanaugh being a rapist before he made the promise not to support a nominee. He made the promise anyway, in full possession of knowledge that he claims he can now use to break his promise. Pretty convenient, huh?
Sorry, Lindsey, that’s not how it works and we’re not going to let you get away with this. If you go ahead with the nomination review, we the people are going to impeach your precious golf buddy — again. Then we’re going to stack the Court with eleven or thirteen members. Then the people of South Carolina just may rise up and kick your butt clean out of the Senate.
If Lindsey thinks he’s strong he can go ahead and try. But we the people are stronger. And, as ever, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, comrades and friends, stay safe.
Robert Harrington is an American expat living in Britain. He is a portrait painter.